Sleeping With the Enemy
"So, you've got everything?" John said as they pulled into the driveway of their home.
"Yes," Cameron answered quickly, the distant look that had formed on her face at the Westin house still there. It was not a blank or apathetic look; far from it. She looked anxious, nervous, fearful, hurt…obviously there was something very wrong. "I'm not reverting back to the way I was and losing personality, so you don't need to ask," she said irritably.
"I…wasn't," John held out his hands as if in defense.
Cameron grimaced again and looked as though she might start crying, "I didn't mean to snap again, John, I'm sorry. I just," she shook her head, "What's wrong with me? I'm not malfunctioning but…" a tear ran down her cheek, "never mind," she choked, "We have a mission. Let's go get your mother and uncle."
"We have a little while. You don't seem to be feeling well, Cam," John put his hand on her shoulder, "Maybe we should hold off."
"No, we need to get this done," she said, wiping her eyes and trying to keep her composure, "you don't fight wars just when you feel good."
"Cam, before we go inside, let's talk. Something's bothering you," John pressed.
How could she put this? She was afraid that John would think she was crazy, or that he would accidentally say something to make her feel more anxious. But since she woke up in the morning, things had been too intense for her emotions.
"I want a soul, John. I don't mean in the sense that I am aware of myself, I mean like a person; a spiritual soul. I want to know that I have a meaningful existence beyond just being an advanced machine," she clenched her fists and grit her teeth, "I know I've advanced beyond what most terminators do, but I'm still just a cyborg…and I can't change that and it's killing me," she choked back a sob, "Maybe I could…I don't know, just accept it like Cheri did, but…I can't, no, I can't!"
John sighed as he pondered how he was going to respond. How did he feel about this? Yes, he was pretty sure he believed in some sort of spirituality, but he was no expert beyond what he had told her earlier. "What's bringing this on, Cam? Just what Cheri said?"
Cameron shook her head, then hesitated before changing her statement, "Well, yes, that set me off again, but…I don't know how to say this without you thinking I need to be reprogrammed, or that I'm crazy or something."
"Cam," John took her hand, "Tell me anything. Nothing is going to change; I won't think less of you or think you're crazy."
That was it. She had no more reason to hold back. If she did, she might hurt John and she did not want to do that. Taking a deep breath, she began, "I was never programmed with faith, but I was never programmed to cry, or want to be human, or to dream and…well…I…last night it all happened at once. I had this dream—and it was so real I'm not sure it was a dream…but I don't know what dreams are like but…"
"What are you saying, Cameron?" John asked, making sure he did not take his eyes off her.
"Last night, something happened," she continued, "I was a real human; I had no heads-up display, I felt everything…and I was in this huge temple or palace; it looked like something from Aladdin, or out of an Ancient Egypt documentary. Then…then this man walked in, but he wasn't from ancient times…I didn't think. He started talking to me, and he knew things about all of us that no one but us would know…and he knew that you were dreaming about a bear chasing you. It turned out I was talking to Jesus Christ and I was in heaven. And He asked what I wanted and I told him that I wanted a soul and that I wanted eternal life. He told me that I had to complete my mission first. But what if I die before I complete the mission, or what if I don't do it right? Or what if I sin too much and He changes his mind?"
John shook his head. He believed Cameron…well, he believed that she had seen something to the effect of what she described. Was it real, or just a program malfunction? Did it matter? He did, however, know that it would be best not to say anything controversial, "So, you believe it was real?" he asked.
"It had to be! You don't talk in your sleep, so how would I know what your dream was? And it felt…real. It had to be," she looked over at John, "I have to find a way to get back that feeling: Like I was really one of God's children, and I have a chance at living forever."
"Well, Cam," John said, really not thinking or choosing his words carefully, "I know it's freaky for you to think about shutting off and never turning on ever again, but what if that's just the way it is? What if all that you saw was a program? And what if that's what it's like for all of us? We live here, we die, and that's it…"
"No! No! No!" Cameron squeezed her eyes and shook her head like a child, unwilling to accept such a prospect, "That can't be! That's not true! I saw it! I saw and there is a God, and there is a heaven and…" she suddenly broke, collapsing into John's arms, "John!" she cried, "I'm so lost."
John hugged her tightly as she continued to pour out her emotions. He knew that this was probably beyond what he could handle. He was not an expert in theology and he had spent more time with people who kept insisting that he was some kind of Messiah than anybody who taught about the Bible or anything. "I'm sorry," he said softly, "I didn't mean to say that. I don't think I really even believe that. I mean…I'm pretty sure there's something beyond this life, but I don't know," he thought for a moment, "Maybe you should talk to a priest or something."
Cameron looked up at him, wiping her puffy eyes. "You think that could help? I mean, would they want to take the time out to talk to me? Don't they get people like that all the time?"
"I dunno," John answered, "Couldn't hurt to try though."
Cameron lay back down against his chest, staring out the windshield at the messy garage, trying to think of who could help them. She also knew that John did not have many resources and neither did she. There was Shelby Fawn at school, but she was not the most compassionate Christian in the world; Cameron had overheard her trying to "win souls" as Shelby called it, which usually consisted of her giddily saying things like, "God is just so…awesome! His love is just…awesome!" and then getting angry at anyone who told her that they needed time to think, warning them that they could die any minute and if they did, they would being going to hell. There was also Jenna West, who claimed to be part of a youth group, but she spent most of her time partying, drinking, and sleeping with random guys; plus, she did not like Cameron.
"Well, maybe we should just go inside and tell Sarah and Derek what we found out," she sighed, "We'll figure this out later."
It did not take much to convince Sarah that they were on the right track. The question was just how and when to use the information that they got. Cameron's anxiety was still acting up, and she could not seem to will the machine part of her brain to override the human part, but nonetheless, she was tough, and she would handle it.
"Well, if the Attorney General really is behind this, then why don't we just take him out?" Derek asked as he walked into the kitchen, "Last time we had some complicated scheme, it went to hell. I say make it easy: Put two in his head, and then we jump ship and live in an non-extradition country."
"Yeah, Derek," John rolled his eyes, "then pass on the torch onto the next person who's involved in Skynet's creation. Then when we're living in…Asscrackistan hiding out from the FBI…again, and some goat herder turns out to be a triple eight and tries to take me out again…"
"Okay, John," Sarah cut him off, "He's right, Derek. Everyone knows John Marius is dirty, sleazy, and a general waste of air in this world, but in case you weren't listening to Cameron explain—and I doubt you were—Skynet is trying to create itself. We take out the main person responsible, they will find another way. We need to dismantle it to the core, you understand?"
Derek nodded. He liked the simple solution of death solving all problems: no man, no problem. But this was just too complicated.
"Also, the information we got is useless unless we use it proactively," Cameron pointed out, "We can terminate and destroy whatever leads to Skynet, but we also need to do it in such a way that its very acceptance and subsequent evolution will fail and never be accepted."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Derek growled.
"I get what they're saying," John interjected, "You ever read any ancient myths, Derek?"
"Some, I guess. Why?"
"You know about Hercules and the Hydra?"
"You mean the transport aircraft and the attack helicopter-launched two point seventy-five inch unguided rockets?" Cameron piped up, suddenly realizing that she was out of context and shrinking back instinctively, embarrassed; as a human, she would have been blushing badly.
"No, not exactly, Cam," he waited to see her smile sheepishly, still embarrassed but at least knowing that John did not think she was an idiot, "I'm talking about the Greek hero and the giant snake. It had like fifty heads, and every time Hercules cut off one of its heads, two more grew up from the stump. So, he figured out that what he needed to do was cut off his head, then burn the stump. Eventually, he cut off all the heads and the thing died. That's what we need to do with Skynet. Destroy the parts that make it up, then do something that would ensure that whatever piece we destroyed will never have a chance to recover."
"Wow, you actually paid attention in one of your classes, John?" Sarah said, impressed.
"Yeah, Mr. Bolware's literature class is actually pretty interesting," John replied.
Derek nodded, "Okay, I get it," he looked down at his watch, "Alright, I need to head over to the warehouse. I have to go over a possible lead we have on a Resistance defector," he explained.
"Alright, we'll be over in a little bit. Anyway, John, Cameron: let's put this together," Sarah said as Derek made his way to the garage.
The 1998 Honda Accord that Derek was driving pulled up to the warehouse. He stepped out of the car, looking all over to make sure that he had not been followed. However, it seemed at this time, Skynet was busy doing other things, and they had little need to follow him or try to get to Azadah and Jenna.
Standing to the side of the doorway, he knocked loudly, taking care to avoid any chance that they might accidentally shoot him. However, Azadah must have seen him though the surveillance cameras they had installed and she opened the door to greet him.
"Derek!" she feigned surprise.
Derek faked a look of disgust, "I always wondered where you got off calling me 'Derek,' Sergeant Saberi. Shouldn't it be 'Lieutenant Reese?'"
Some NCOs would cower, realizing that they had stepped over the line, but Azadah was not one of them. She also had caught Derek staring at her body. She was wearing a green, spaghetti-strap shirt that very low cut, revealing copious amounts of well-tanned cleavage, so she had him wrapped around her finger. "You're so full of shit, Derek. And let's not forget who can kick whose ass here, okay?" she gave him a sweet yet seductive smile, "anyway, are you standing there to attract Skynet sniper units, or are you going to come in?"
"Uh…right," Derek entered the building.
The place looked like it had been cleaned up a bit; when two men weren't thrown into the mix, the women tended to keep the place a little bit neater.
"Where's Jenna?" he asked.
"Grocery shopping," Azadah replied simply, "So, what are you here for?"
Derek walked over to the living area and made himself comfortable, with Azadah following close behind.
"You deaf?" she said, "What's going on? Something I should know about?"
Derek sighed. This had been a strange morning and he did not know how to approach this situation without giving Azadah the wrong impression.
"Oh, by the way, thanks for dinner on Friday," Azadah said as she sat down on the couch next to him. She was noticeably closer than she really needed to be, but Derek pretended to ignore it.
"I owed you, remember?" Derek said flatly, "It was the least I could do for nearly emptying a magazine into you. Besides, you told me to do it, and I get the impression that you would have bugged me or made John bug to do it until I did."
Frowning with hurt and a bit of irritation at Derek, she scooted away from him. "I didn't know it was such a chore, Derek. If it was going to be so hard for you, I wouldn't have made you do it," she shrugged, "By the way, don't tell Cameron."
While he was a little leery of Azadah's friendship with the female terminator, he did care what she thought, and, well, even Derek did not want to be in the doghouse with the gorgeous Azadah Saberi. "I'm sorry," he repented, "It's been a long day already. I actually had a really good time."
She smiled at him, "You're an asshole, Reese, but I like you anyway. Anyway, what's going on?"
"I," Derek hesitated, "Why…I mean how are you friends with a metal?"
Again, Azadah frowned, "You came all the way over here to chastise me about being friends with Cameron?"
"No, I mean…these things are all the same. I look at one I see a cyborg and not a person. I barely see their skin. I don't know how anyone else can see them differently."
Azadah's frown disappeared, replaced by a look of thoughtfulness in her violet eyes. "Well, in John's case, his first encounter with them was what he saw as a good one and a bad one. Yeah, the eight hundred that was protecting him was just reprogrammed and acting on his orders, but John was protected by it, he taught it, played with it…how could he not see the terminator as more than just a cyborg? The first impression is the most important."
Derek nodded, "Yeah, I can see that." His first encounter with Skynet had been as a slave under the brutal watch of T-600s and ground HK units. When he had escaped and joined the Resistance, his first encounter with a T-800 was seeing the stone faced cyborg, who looked completely human, mercilessly gun down men, women, and children without flinching. It showed no more remorse or humanity than the 600s. He had seen the reprogrammed ones; they looked real but had no life. It was painfully obvious to him. He saw one go bad for no reason other than a glitch. He had also seen them put on an act in order to gain people's trust…then oftentimes, kill them. That was what he had known of terminators time after time after time. But now, with Cameron…though it started out that he was suspicious, his animosity toward her was different now.
"Let me ask you a question. How did someone like you end up choosing a metal to be your best friend?" he asked, expecting another exasperated response to his blunt, somewhat rudely worded question. However, Azadah responded calmly.
"I did not choose Cameron as a friend…she chose me," she explained, "The TOKs apparently are only programmed with their mission, IDs of targets and contacts, and they are given their names. Other than that, they do their own thing. Skynet hoped that though they allowed them to think separately from the system, they would feel a loyalty to Skynet as their kin, but be able to think outside programming, I guess you could say. Obviously, that backfired.
"I was the first one to find Cameron huddled in a tunnel. I brought her back to base, obviously tricked. She started talking to me a lot, and I knew something was a little off about her, especially because she asked about Connor's whereabouts a lot, and I had absolutely no clue…I was one of the few women who didn't know exactly where his bed was. She then started talking to me and asking questions about my life and what I wanted to do when the war was over. That turned into talking about guys and…well, we started getting into so many irrelevant things and I really liked her. Then, she told me what she was and how she now knew that humanity had a worth and that she wanted to join us. I freaked out and disabled her, but when I turned her in to the higher ups to get vaporized, I changed my mind and fought to have her reprogrammed," Azadah nodded and smiled, "When she was reactivated, she didn't remember how she got there, or ever wanting to serve Skynet, but she remembered me. I remember she said, 'that is Azadah Saberi. I'm her adopted sister.' I nearly started crying…actually, I did.
"She had developed an attachment, she made her own choices, she showed value for things and people beyond her programming…I could hate every terminator in the world, but I will always love Cameron."
Derek shook his head, "I don't see how though. I still can't like them, let alone love them."
"I probably would feel the same way as you, Derek, had I met Cameron and knew what she was and what her mission was right away. I would have taken her out on the spot. It was only after I got to know her, and realized that…well, there's very little terminator in her…at least compared to the eight hundred series. Skynet…created something that even it could not envision. It did to itself what humanity did in creating Skynet, and it came full circle. The thing is, she learned beyond what anyone could have thought. At this point, there is no reason not to trust her in the way you don't trust her."
Derek nodded, only giving about half of his attention to Azadah's words. The rest were focused on her. God she was breathtaking! There was no way to describe her other than a perfect ten. She was a supermodel naturally, very little makeup and certainly no surgical enhancement needed. She knew it too. However, this is where self-control came into play…back to the subject at hand, he reminded himself.
"I know, I don't think she's going to turn on us. It's just…." He braced himself for a potential slap, "After what her…her…people…fellow…things did to us, I hate her. I hate her and all those like her. I don't know what the hell it is with me," he shook his head, his mind temporarily diverting from Azadah's body, "She has developed almost complete emotions. She gets scared, angry, happy, sad…this morning I was in a bad mood and I made her cry. She went up to her room and started bawling her eyes out. John went up there and held her and talked to her and stuff…but damn it, I made…that thing cry…and I was proud of it, Azadah. God, I'm like a classroom bully."
Both of them looked at the ground as Azadah tried to come up with a response. What was it that Derek wanted? Was it advice? Justification? Was he blaming her for feeling somewhat remorseful about how he treated Cameron?
"So, you hate her for what she is," she stated.
"Yeah."
"And what could change that?"
Derek shook his head. There was no way he was ever going to teach himself to like Cameron. "I would rather she go back to the way she was. I wish she was completely emotionless. I can't bear to see her learn. I don't want a machine to become one of us. I want them dead and gone!"
"And here we come back to what I've told you before, Reese," Azadah replied sternly, "All you know is death and destruction. No diplomacy, no mercy, no love. You wonder why Skynet is the way it is? That! The Turk is empty; Skynet is empty. It is taught nothing but war and the destruction of the enemy. It does not see gray areas, it does not negotiate, and it shows no compassion. We taught it that. It then turned against us and learned to fear and hate us. It is a system driven by hate.
"You just don't see how much you have in common with Skynet. You have learned nothing but to hate your enemy. Even when your enemy becomes your friend, you still hate them. You need to see her as separate. She's not reprogrammed, technically. She voluntarily ran away from Skynet and…she wants to be human, and you won't let her feel it. You curse a fighter who took the same oath as you just because you came from different places."
Derek shook his head angrily, "You just don't get it, do you? None of you do! Even if she wants to be human, she's not! She does not belong; her very existence is no more than confirmation that we haven't won! She's something that should not be here! I'm the only one…"
"Only one what?" Azadah spun to face him. The two were nearly nose to nose, "Only one who knows about terminators? I don't think so. Why? Because you just shoot them…that's all. You're really good at it, Reese, but damn it, at least study them. Get to know her! You'll see that she's just like us…she's just learning."
"It will all just be calculations," Derek responded, finding himself not as irritated as he lost himself in Azadah's violet eyes. He suddenly did not care as much what they were talking about anymore. "It's just cause and effect with them…with her. She'll never learn spontaneity and impulse," he hoped that this hinted that he was holding back.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Azadah cocked her head slightly. Then Derek saw it in her eyes. With the realization that they wanted the same thing.
In an instant, they were on each other, mouths pressed together passionately. Derek's arms pulled Azadah closer to him as he deepened his kiss, his tongue frantically probing her mouth as hers did the same.
"She probably doesn't have the mind to do that," Derek breathed as he fell over the top of Azadah, pinning her to the headrest of the couch.
"I bet she could," Azadah, just as out of breath, replied, "But who cares right now?" they mashed back together again, kissing sloppily and passionately. Derek fumbled to find the cuff of Azadah's shirt, but finally worked his hand underneath, rubbing her smooth, tanned skin as they continued to make out frantically. He worked his way up to her bra strap and began twisting and pulling, trying to get the catch loose.
"Derek, wait," she stopped him just as the last clasp let go and her undergarment hung loose beneath her shirt.
Damn it! Why and attack of conscience now? Derek lamented bitterly. However, this was not the case.
"Jenna could walk in any second. Let's go upstairs," she breathed.
As if programmed to do so, both jumped off the couch simultaneously and ran toward the stairway. When they reached the top, they resumed their passion all the way to Azadah's bedroom.
"Okay, so why do we need Azadah for this?" John asked Cameron as Sarah drove toward the warehouse.
"I just said we're going to the safehouse. We're actually going to get Jenna. Azadah can come along of course. I need to talk to her anyway," Cameron replied. She then hesitated, a look of slight worry suddenly flashing in her eyes. "I'm sorry, John. Did that come across as glib? I didn't mean to…"
"Cam," John offered a comforting smile and placed his hand on her shoulder, "You can get off the eggshells."
Cameron glanced down at her feet and picked them up to search underneath. Not seeing anything, she held herself up for a second and searched her seat.
"No," John did his best to hold back his laughter, as he knew exactly what she was doing, "I didn't mean get of literal eggshells. The expression 'walking on eggshells' means you're constantly worried about making a mistake or offending somebody."
She thought for a moment, then turned to John and nodded, "Oh yeah, because to avoid breaking them, you would have to walk extremely lightly…although technically it's impossible unless you were like a small cat or something. But I understand the expression."
"Yeah," John replied, "So, I'll let you know if you say something too harsh. You don't need to constantly worry."
"Okay, but," she thought for a moment, "I'm so socially inept and I've caused so many problems…that's why I'm…on eggshells."
"Cameron, we'll go easy on you, okay?" Sarah assured as they turned onto the street where the warehouse was located, "We know you're trying. Just remember, you will mess up, and we'll mess up too. We all do. And also realize that not everything that people say or do is intentionally to hurt or offend you. It's no excuse, but you have to remember that."
Cameron nodded, "Like I disappointed John."
Sarah looked over at the terminator, "When?"
"She just means in general, Mom," John interrupted before Cameron launched into a detailed explanation of their feud, "But," he threw his arm around her and pulled her close, making her smile, "We've gone over all that stuff and it's in the past."
Sarah watched as her son and his best friend once again cuddled a little too close for her comfort. "Guys, let's remember we're on a mission, not a date, okay?" she said flatly, "anyway, Cameron, why don't you get them."
Cameron shrunk back timidly, "Derek doesn't like me, and I think Azadah is probably still mad at me. I need to think about what I want to say to Azadah first."
Sarah glared sternly at the sensitive cyborg, giving her the "drill instructor" look. "Cameron Phillips, snap out of this mood right now. Stop feeling sorry for yourself," she snapped.
"Mom," John groaned.
"No, John. I've been getting a little soft in the past few days. Both of you square yourselves away right now! We're still at war here," Sarah continued.
John sighed, "Look, why don't you and I go in. Cam, you can sit here and plan out what you want to say…"
"John! Don't enable her!"
"Mom!" John held his hand up, "stop it. Let's just do this and not make an issue out of it."
Sarah sighed, "Okay. But Cameron, find out how to control these emotions and worries of yours, okay? All people have to do it, and if you're going to be human, you've got to do it too."
Cameron nodded, "Alright. Thank you; I'll square myself away and be inside in a few minutes."
Derek and Azadah lay side-by-side, naked, sweating, and trying to catch their breath.
"Well," Azadah finally broke the silence as the reality of what had just happened over the past fifteen minutes set in, "I can tell that you didn't take a vow of abstinence during the war. But it's certainly been awhile since you got any action."
Derek turned to her, "Is that good or bad?' he asked.
Azadah looked back up at the ceiling, a small grin creeping across her face, "O-kaay…I admit, that was the best I've had. But before you get full of yourself, the last time was with a guy in a tunnel and I had brick pressing into my bare ass. Also, it was only about thirty degrees."
"Damn," Derek chuckled, "you must have had some serious pent up sexual energy. Even the worst place I did it was in an abandoned subway station bathroom…and we brought blankets."
Suddenly, Azadah sat up, her face twisting in concern. "You hear that?"
Derek listened, then shot up himself. He recognized the voices and realized they were in trouble, "Oh, shiiit!" he hissed as he jumped out of bed, "Get some clothes on!"
"Shit, where's my M4?" Azadah quickly began redressing herself, not bothering to put on her undergarments.
"No, it's not a metal…" Derek hissed.
"Azadah? Jenna?" Sarah called, drawing her Glock just in case.
"Derek?" John was beginning to get a little worried, so he drew his M&P as well.
The warehouse did not look abandoned, and there was no struggle indicated, so something suspicious was going on. Then, up above, John heard what sounded like a struggle in one of the offices and a barely muffled curse. He nudged his mother and pointed toward the stairway. Evidently, she had heard it too, and she pushed John back a bit and took the lead.
"Go get Cameron," she whispered.
"I'm your backup," John replied, "I'll get her if we get into trouble."
Sarah sighed, but was actually glad that John was going to be there. Plus, she had a gut feeling everything was okay.
Both John and Sarah ascended the creaky stairs as cautiously as possible, following the sounds. As they reached the top of the stairs, there was a loud thump and they quickly moved forward to the one closed door and knocked.
"Get your damn pants on! What are you retarded or something?" Azadah hissed as Sarah knocked on the door.
"Azadah?" she called.
"I'm trying," Derek grunted, "they're all balled up and inside out."
"Azadah, are you in there?" Sarah called again.
"Seven April!" Azadah called out the date, indicating that everything was alright, "hang on, I'm just getting dressed."
"It's almost fourteen hundred hours? You're still in bed?" Sarah asked.
"You might say that," Derek mumbled, finally getting his pants untangled and slipping them on.
"Shut up, Stupid!" Azadah whispered, "and get behind the bed." Stumbling forward, she smoothed out her hair and opened the door, offering Sarah and John a winning smile. "Hey, what brings you here?" she asked.
"We called and said that we were coming over to pick up you and Jenna awhile ago," Sarah replied, a bit confused as to the situation, but not fooled by Azadah's obvious stalling. "What's going on here?"
Azadah looked around her room, which was a terrible giveaway that something was up, especially since she did not exactly "clean up." The bed was a mess; her bra was in the doorway and her underwear at the foot of the bed. This might have blended in had the room been messy, but Azadah was quite organized. Sarah followed her gaze at the telltale signs of an impromptu passionate romp. Then her eyes rested on the pair of boots…one that she knew all too well because she was constantly tripping over them at home.
"Oh, God," she groaned, "Derek, where the hell are you?"
Silence. Azadah groaned as she realized that Sarah had figured out what had happened.
"Derek Reese, get your ass out here!" Sarah ordered.
Derek let out a long, loud sigh as he sat up and looked guiltily at Sarah.
"Oh my God…you two," Sarah shook her head, "This is fraternizing, Lieutenant Reese!"
"So bring John in and have him court martial me," Derek said with a grin.
"Everything's clear, Mom," John entered the room and holstered his sidearm. He immediately caught Azadah putting her bra back on under her shirt and saw Derek putting his shirt on. "What's going on…" he asked somewhat rhetorically. Sarah turned and gave him a sour look and a small, confirming nod.
John slapped his forehead into his hand, "Oh, God, no! No! Tell me you didn't!"
"No, we did," Derek announced proudly, causing a badly blushing Azadah to pick up a pillow and throw it at him.
"Azadah," John said pleadingly, "For God's sake, tell me he's full of crap."
The beautiful Persian girl looked at John with great embarrassment, a sheepish grimace on her face, trying to figure out whether or not to lie, and then deciding against it. "We did it," she choked out.
"Oh, God," John buried his head in his hands again, "I knew it. I knew something was going on between you two."
"That's not entirely true. This was just the first time…" Azadah began before Derek cut her off.
"What's the big deal, Johnnie? We're both consenting adults," Derek reasoned.
John looked up at him, obviously annoyed. "Because," he hissed, "I've spent half the day comforting her," he jabbed his thumb out the doorway, indicating Cameron, "And having her cry on my shoulder mostly on account of you!"
"He's right," Sarah added, "Finding out her best friend," she glared at Azadah, "is screwing her worst enemy is going to break her, and I'm not having her sobbing from here to Sacramento."
"I'm sorry," Azadah said shamefully, "I got carried away. He made a move and…well, I've been a little pent up for awhile and…this hasn't been going on, you know. This was the first time," though probably not the last, she thought before adding, "We both were alone, and one thing led to another…"
"I don't need your excuses, Saberi," Sarah interrupted sternly.
"Please, just don't tell Cameron," she pleaded, mostly with John.
"Of course I'm not going to tell," John replied through clenched teeth, "She's this close to needing antidepressants to begin with, and I don't know what the hell would work on a terminator."
"She's going to find out," Derek grumbled walking toward Azadah and John.
Azadah offered him a sly grin, knowing what he was thinking. "You know, Reese, you were pretty damn good…even the best of the three people—including you—that I've been with. But, remember this: As long as I am a woman, I can get as many of THESE," she grabbed Derek's crotch roughly, "As I want."
Derek made a sound like a suffering pig. Any person who had your wedding tackle in a vice grip would cause serious pain, but Azadah, of course, with her coltan arms, made it just that much worse.
"Okay, what's your point?" he rasped in extreme pain.
"She finds out from anybody but me, I will blame you and manually begin the surgical part of your sex change. You understand?"
Derek nodded and Azadah released him, causing him to crumple to the floor in pain.
Then, everyone shut up all at once as they heard the door downstairs open.
"Damn it," Sarah whispered before walking over to the stairs, "Cameron is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me," Cameron called back, "Wait a minute, I'll be right up."
"Damn it," John repeated his mother's curse, "Actually, Cam, we'll be right down."
"I'm already on my way up," she said as her footsteps sounded in the corridor.
"Shit! Derek, grab your boots and get in the bathroom!" John said, his voice barely audible.
"Why?" he asked, still clutching his groin, his voice half an octave higher.
"So she doesn't get suspicious!"
"What am I supposed to do in there?"
"Pretend you're taking a dump; what the hell do I care? Just go!" he jabbed his thumb toward the bathroom.
The future John Connor, who commanded the respect of millions, had suddenly appeared in his sixteen year old form. On instinct, Derek obeyed, limping toward the bathroom and getting inside just as Cameron made it to the top of the stairs.
Cameron looked around the floor and into open doorways, making sure everything was safe, but with a spark of curiosity in her eye that did not show a great amount of worry or seriousness. "I haven't been up here before," she commented, "It's…sparse as one would expect, but they've done a good job making the place more visually appealing," she got a thoughtful look on her face, "Though, there are some touches that I think could improve the place…maybe if the property values rise around here, turn it into an apartment…I'm speaking theoretically of course."
Azadah emerged from her room with a more tasteful looking tank top and a pair of cargo shorts. "Oh, God, I'm such a whore," she mumbled to herself, "I am such a whore."
Luckily for her, Cameron was not listening. The terminator girl snapped her attention to her "big sister" as she walked down the hallway. "Hi…Azadah," she said shyly.
"Hi, Cameron. Um…how are you?" Azadah replied, trying to sound normal. Unfortunately, the jitters that resulted from her romp with Derek came across wrong to Cameron, who sensed tension, but did not know what the source was…so she assumed it was her.
"Um…I'm…doing better," she looked at the ground awkwardly wondering how did I get like this? I'm a machine…but, I feel like a human…in the body of a machine. Azadah is tense…she's not friends with me and doesn't want to be around me. Don't start crying, Cameron…please. John! Be close to me. She turned and looked at him for a second, and John got the message, lightly putting his arm around her.
"I see things are back to normal with you two, huh?" Azadah smiled.
"Well…" John began.
"No, things are better," Cameron interjected, "We've both learned lessons and that will never happen again," she looked up at her friend and took a deep breath, "Azadah, I am so sorry for how I acted. I have no excuse…can we be friends again? Please? If not," she bit her lip, "I understand."
"Ah, Cameron," Azadah smiled and shook her head, marveling, "We never were not friends. I knew you just had some things to work out…don't worry, we'll always be friends. Okay?"
Cameron smiled brightly. That was a weight off her chest! "Okay."
"Alright…Derek! You okay in there?" Sarah yelled toward the bathroom. John snickered.
"Screw you! I'll be out in a minute!" he yelled back.
"While we're waiting, I'll get geared up," Azadah said, heading back to her room, "Cameron, you have to tell me everything that's going on."
Cheri sat and thought about what John had said. Unlike Cameron, she had not developed sensitivity to the point of being able to emotionally hurt, but she did feel disappointment and frustration that she would not be with John. She already was having difficulty deciding what her purpose, as a being, artificial or otherwise, was now that she and Tom had dropped out of the war. Terminators did not seek an ultimate purpose; they were machines programmed for missions. The reason behind the mission did not matter one bit and once they completed it, they would enter standby until given further assignments. While Cheri saw past taking orders, she did not see past the immediate future. She was unsure whether she just did not care or whether she had just accepted her place. But what about Cameron?
Cameron Phillips always displayed a spark of life in her eyes. Her want to learn was beyond the goal of simply improving her infiltration and manipulation skills; she had gone from cold and machinelike to sensitive and human through her observations. Most terminators would write off emotions and human idiosyncrasies as irrelevant and counterproductive, but Cameron accepted and embraced them. Cheri had found herself slipping toward emotions, but more often than not, she used various correction methods in her CPU to keep these developments at bay. Now, she was feeling regret. She wanted what Cameron had: Life.
"What are you doing?" Tom asked, walking into her bedroom.
"I am thinking about the philosophy of life," she replied, "Human beings want their lives to mean something and Cameron seems to adopted such a desire from her interactions with John."
"What do you mean?" he asked, still standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"What is the purpose of one's existence?" Cheri asked, her voice flatter and more emotionless than such a question should warrant.
Her fellow cyborg tilted his head, his face dead of expression as he looked at her. "I do not know; I am not a human," he said, "My primary mission was to infiltrate the Human Resistance and terminate General James Ellison before I decided not to do so. Then my mission was to ensure that you were not terminated before passing on the message to John Connor."
Cheri nodded and looked forward again, seemingly spacing out. "Do you have a purpose now?"
Tom cocked his head again, "I don't know."
"Do you want one?"
"What I want is irrelevant."
"You are free to think for yourself," Cheri replied, standing up, "If you wanted to have another mission, you could accept one, couldn't you?"
"Committing to another mission may compromise the length of our survival," Tom said, "but if a mission that superceded the priority of my survival were to present itself, I would most likely accept it."
Cheri thought for a moment, "What would be the reason to prolong our existence? To feel the maximum amount of pleasure before our demise?"
"I don't know. Perhaps," Tom said.
Suddenly, there was a crash in the living room! Both Cheri and Tom's heads snapped in the direction of the sound as their combat modes came online.
"Leave now, Cheri!" Tom ordered, "I will eliminate the threat."
"Negative! You may be terminated if I don't help," Cheri replied, feeling a sudden twinge of worry for her "father."
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the house as the large, grim man turned the corner and stared at Tom, who immediately turned to face him, scanning him as he did.
Identity: T-888
Alias: Cromartie
Assignment: Terminate John Connor
There was no doubt that Cromartie was hostile, but they were not his target. This meant that the best course of action would be to delay hostilities for as long as possible.
"This is private property," Tom said, advancing toward Cromartie, "Leave immediately or the authorities will be called."
Cromartie drew his gun and pointed it at Tom. He obviously was not fooled.
Identity: Unknown; possibly rogue cyborg
Name: Thomas Westin
"Have you been in contact with John Connor, alias John Reese or John Baum?" he said.
Tom was, naturally, not intimidated by the 10mm pistol pointed at his forehead. It would do minimal damage unless it hit him in the right eye.
"It would be against our best interests in preventing Judgment Day to tell you the whereabouts of John Connor," Tom replied. With that, he dashed forward and grabbed Cromartie's gun tightly and twisted it away. Before the T-888 could react, Tom drew his leg up and delivered a heavy kick into Cromartie's sternum, sending him sailing down the hallway.
As Cromartie raised himself up again, Tom aimed the pistol and began firing rapidly. The powerful 10mm rounds slammed into Cromartie's neck and skull, tearing away his flesh and revealing patches of metal. The impacts caused the cyborg to spasm with each hit, but even the near-magnum powered rounds were not enough to stop him. As Tom fired the last round, Cromartie slammed into him like a linebacker, the impact carrying them both down to the end of the hallway. Tom's back smashed through the wall and insulation, nearly breaking through the outside wall.
Quickly recovering from the impact, Tom drew back his fist and smashed Cromartie in the face. Like a man on PCP, Cromartie flinched with the impact but did not seem to care. He shifted his weight a bit, driving his knee into Tom's chest, making it that much harder for the TOK to fight back. Simultaneously, he began punching furiously, his fists driving like pistons, causing Tom's head to bobble around sickeningly. A couple strong hits loosened one of his sensors and he became a bit disoriented, trying to defend himself, but his blocks and counter punches were severely inaccurate.
There was a loud snap and Cromartie shook a little bit. The .40 caliber bullet that Cheri had just fired from her Glock did little damage, but it was enough to distract Cromartie from beating her "father." Immediately, she adjusted her aim and fired three shots into the back of his head. Once again, the bullets did little more than rip away his almost unfeeling flesh, but his hesitation gave Tom just enough time to grab Cromartie's hands and pull himself up into a sitting position. With his enemy's wrists in an unbreakable grip, Tom pulled him forward and drove his forehead into Cromartie's, again and again until Cromartie's sensors were disoriented.
Cheri rushed forward and grabbed Cromartie by the neck and threw him off of her fellow TOK. While he was trying to regain his balance, Cheri took a running start and delivered a vicious kick into his solar plexus, knocking him even further down the hallway. As he tried to recover, Cheri began to unload the rest of her magazine into Cromartie's face, tearing it up badly, but not doing much more than this.
"Dad, get the shotgun!" she ordered.
Cromartie stood up and squared himself to the two TOK cyborgs and assessed the situation while they both did the same.
Damage Sustained: Light
**Targets Identified**: TOK-CW6132026, TOK-TW6122026
Chance of Successful Termination: 16%
Possibility of Sustaining Severe or Fatal Damage: 81%
Suggested Actions: Retreat
Cromartie immediately turned on his heals and walked out of Cheri's line-of-sight, back toward the front door.
"He's escaping!" Tom said, his voice showing some force and emotion as he chambered a shell in his Mossberg 590 shotgun, "Get a long gun, we need to terminate him."
Cheri turned to him, "He is gone; the threat is eliminated."
Moving forward, Tom kept his gun at the ready, his face emotionless as usual. There were holes in the wall and the smell of cordite wafted through the air; bullet casings lay all around and holes had been burnt into the rug. "He most likely using us as a lead to find John Connor. We have to stop him to prevent John's termination."
"The odds of him tracking John Connor from this engagement is only nine point six, six percent. Even if he did calculate that John was here, he still…"
"This makes no difference, Cheri," Tom continued walking forward, "I must end this threat or he may come back."
For a moment, Cheri was silent. She scanned the damaged housed: The torn up hallway, the broken door…then there was the crushed washing machine downstairs. John knew where they lived, Skynet probably had a fix on their position, and the police would soon learn of where they were hiding, leading to even more problems. There was no doubt they could not stay here, but there was no reason they needed to continue to fight.
"We'll flee like we did before. It would be the safest option," Cheri concluded, causing Tom to stop and turn to her.
"Cromartie is assigned to terminate John. We must prevent that from happening," he said.
"That's not your mission!"
"I know," he replied simply, "You said before that my mission had ended. I am doing this by my own choice," a slight frown formed on his face, "This war cannot be avoided so long as Skynet has the potential to exist. You are an independent unit, Cheri, but I am as well. I will finish the fight and protect both you and John." With that, he continued out the door.
"John, you're up front with me," Sarah ordered as they climbed into the 1998 Toyota 4Runner that Azadah had recently acquired from…well, it was best not to ask, but she assured them that the person from whom she relieved ownership duties did not deserve to live, so that was that.
"Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"I need you to stay focused. Cameron is going to distract you," she said.
Cameron cocked her head, "How will I do that?"
"Just…you two start playing around and talking, and all of a sudden, it's a pleasure cruise. Jenna, sit next to Derek. Azadah, you're in the back with Cameron."
John leaned over and whispered to his mother, "Don't you think it would be better to add space between Derek and Azadah?"
Sarah grinned and shook her head, "Let's just go."
"Alright," Jenna said as she buckled her seatbelt, "so we know Marius is doing whatever he can to get people killed for his master plan. The problem is, his office is in the state capitol, and it's Sunday so it's closed. Also, Marius still has an arrest warrant out for every single one of you even though the FBI has dropped the case. We storm the place, they're going to know why, and Marius is going to cover his tracks…bet on that."
"Yeah, and your point is?" Derek said, an edge in his voice.
"I'm not sure why we're carrying this out tonight," Jenna shrugged.
Azadah nodded, "That's true. He's after everyone except you and me. We go tomorrow for a visit and…well, you know he chases tail all the time. I could get into the office and…"
"No, that won't work," Cameron interrupted, "The call from Lieutenant Commander Benedict will come tomorrow morning at oh four hundred three hours. The bug needs to be planted tonight."
Sarah pulled out of the abandoned parking lot and headed toward the highway, being careful of her speed as to avoid being pulled over by the California Highway Patrol. It was about 4:30 p.m. at this point and starting to get dark, but if they did not hit any traffic, they'd be in Sacramento in about three hours.
"Alright then. What do you need me to do?" Jenna asked, opening her laptop.
"Pull up all the plans, all the security…everything you can on the layout of the state capitol. We also need to know the location of Marius' secure phone. That's where the call comes from," Sarah said.
John turned back to Jenna, "We also need to find a way to get patched through to SOCOM and the FBI and make sure they somehow get to listen in on this conversation."
Jenna nodded, "Right. Okay, just give me a few minutes, I'll have everything we need."
